No video: At last, all those who complain about paying for video they never use have an option available. Buy the D800 with video or buy the Df and save yourselves $50. I guess I was wrong and you guys were right. You are are paying more for video capability. Spend that $50 any way you want.

hehehe .. were I live the D800 is currently at € 2000. The new Nikon DOA will be at least € 3000 body only. So no video will cost 1000 € .. oO. That's not the way it's meant to be!

I just don't get it. It's got a prism and optical viewfinder, so it will not be small. It's just a vintage film camera hiding modern tech beneath. This is a fashion-skinned DSLR.

It's like they are going after (a) film users and (b) Fuji users who still want to look cool but with a larger sensor. Or -- big reach here -- Leica users who really want autofocus? (Surely they'd go with the new Sony rigs, right?)

So you *do* get it! I like the idea of it, but unless that's an amazing sensor it's overpriced (though not, of course, in comparison with a D4). And while I like the look of some retro cameras (they strike me as far more attractive than most other stuff designed in the 60s-80s), this could do with a dose of elegance (someone should send them an Olympus EM5...). The fact that it's not small isn't a problem - it's FF, so it needs to be a decent size to support all but the smallest FF lenses, unlike the new Sonys; unlike the new Sonys, there's a better array of native lenses to attach; and maybe it will prove less of a chore to use than Nikon dslrs, with their convoluted ergonomics.

It would be interesting to know just how important all the stuff I consider extraneous is to dslr-buying public; every time I see a list of features in an ad or review I lose interest half way through (I'm always amused by lengthy reviews which leave image quality to the end and explain that while the camera is ahead of the competition in every way, the photos don't look anything special). Will people be put off by the "less is more" list of features here? How many people willing to spend $2700 on a Nikon a camera body will want a sensor with fewer than half the number of MPs of a D800, fewer AF points than a D800, no video, etc.? (Repeat the question in comparison to a D600, for that matter.)

Maybe it will do well and encourage a competitor to come up with something similar, but more elegant and more competitively priced....

...why do I get the feeling that camera companies are groping in the dark looking for anything that might sell....

I think you are right. Mirrorless was the big up and coming thing, but after a quick start, sales took a big nosedive, so now we may see limited edition big ticket items that appeal to the hardware collectors, and will sell for 4 or 5X the production cost. Times are tough, and perhaps some unusual measures are in order.

Canon seems to be content to compete based on pricing, their production costs are low and they can undersell and still make a profit.

Yeah, I think that's kind of the point. This isn't a camera for the working professional, its a lifestyle accouterment. Just look at those teaser ads with the ruggedly handsome, unshaven man in the fashionable, heritage sweater walking through the autumn woods, capturing scenes that perfectly represent the idyllic life of the affluent and trendy. Who cares what the camera does, just look at how cool it is and imagine how cool your life could be with it. Nikon has always kinda been the Apple to Canon's Microsoft, the brand the cool kids buy to show they know whats up. This is just taking it a bit further.

That said, it is pretty cool looking and I hope camera companies continue to consider form as well as function. I love my 1D4 but its an ugly brick. Those Fuji XE-1's and X-Pro's on the other hand are handsome little cameras that look sweet hanging next to some raw denim jeans and a Filson coat...

I like the look and the manual controls.If Canon comes up with something like this I shall surely buy.

and I shall surely puke.

Indeed. Then I need to get a vomit bag and some pepto bismol with me when I go to buy that camera. Thanks for the heads up.

If I remember correctly, time and again I have seen posts (may not be by you but by other forum members of course) asking for "still only" and "easy manual control" camera. Interestingly or unfortunately (depending on the view point) Nikon came up with something of that sort and canon did not. Do I sense some vain frustration?

The only thing I can say about this camera is that it does not look like the nice expensive DSLR's. It looks like one of those old cameras that a thief won't even want to steal. That's the good thing about it...... and that's about it.

I was only born when the last great film cameras were in the last leg of their journey. So I never had the chance to use them, and I am not willing to buy a 30 year old film camera and some films to enjoy those pleasures. So if Canon comes up with something like this and I have the money I will jump onto it like crazy. The silver/black leather version is the one that catches my imagination the most. That is just gorgeous.

I was only born when the last great film cameras were in the last leg of their journey. So I never had the chance to use them, and I am not willing to buy a 30 year old film camera and some films to enjoy those pleasures. So if Canon comes up with something like this and I have the money I will jump onto it like crazy. The silver/black leather version is the one that catches my imagination the most. That is just gorgeous.